The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan--Curated by NYU's Hilary Ballon

Summary

In this insightful talk, Hillary Balon, a university professor and Deputy Vice Chancellor at NYU Abu Dhabi, discusses the history and impact of Manhattan’s iconic grid system. She traces its origins to the 1811 plan, highlighting the foresight of city leaders and the challenges they faced in transforming the city. From flattening hills to straightening roads, the grid reshaped New York. Balon explores how the grid, though initially controversial, became a defining feature of the city, providing long-term benefits like a clear and efficient street layout that still influences urban planning today.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Manhattan grid is a system of right-angled streets and avenues established in 1811, transforming the layout of the island.
• 😀 Before the grid, Manhattan had streets running at odd angles with names like Bleecker Street and Minetta Lane.
• 😀 The grid plan was developed by three Commissioners appointed by the New York State Legislature in 1807 to create a more organized city layout.
• 😀 The grid spanned from Greenwich Village to 155th Street, fundamentally reshaping the city for orderly growth and development.
• 😀 Part of the grid's development involved flattening hilly terrain, filling swamps, and even relocating buildings to comply with the new system.
• 😀 The grid plan triggered the first large-scale act of eminent domain in New York City, with some buildings being destroyed and others relocated.
• 😀 Surveyors marked the locations of street and avenue intersections with marble monuments, some of which still exist today.
• 😀 Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park, disliked the grid, viewing it as anti-architectural and limiting in terms of monumental design.
• 😀 Despite Olmsted's views, the grid became a new urban language, offering long vistas and clear orientation for the city's inhabitants.
• 😀 The use of numbered streets and avenues in both directions was a unique and abstract system that contributed to Manhattan's navigability.
• 😀 The grid plan was not a spontaneous development but rather the result of strategic, long-term planning and significant decisions to prepare New York for the future.

Q & A

What was the original layout of Manhattan before the grid system?

Before the grid system, Manhattan's streets ran at odd angles with names like Bleecker Street or Minetta Lane, especially in lower Manhattan. This disorganized layout hindered the orderly development of the city.

Who were the key figures behind the development of the Manhattan grid?

The Manhattan grid plan was developed by three commissioners appointed by the New York State Legislature in 1807. They were tasked with creating a system that would facilitate the city's orderly development.

When was the grid plan officially established and what did it aim to do?

The grid plan was officially established in 1811. It aimed to create a structured system of streets and avenues running from Greenwich Village to 155th Street, promoting organized urban growth.

How did the grid system address the natural topography of Manhattan?

The grid system required large-scale alterations to the island’s landscape, including flattening hills, filling in marshes and swamps, and leveling rocky areas to make way for the new grid layout.

What were the challenges posed by Manhattan's landscape when implementing the grid?

Manhattan’s hilly terrain, rocky boulders, marshes, and streams made it difficult to develop a standardized street grid. To address this, significant land alterations like flattening hills and filling swamps were necessary.

What was the first completely transverse street in Manhattan?

14th Street was the first completely transverse street, running across the grid from east to west.

How did the grid plan affect existing properties and buildings in Manhattan?

The implementation of the grid involved eminent domain, where many existing buildings were demolished. Some property owners chose to relocate their houses, while others had their properties destroyed to make way for the new street system.

Why did Frederick Law Olmsted criticize the Manhattan grid?

Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park, criticized the Manhattan grid for being anti-architectural and depriving the city of monumental, aesthetic designs that were characteristic of cities like Paris or London.

How did the grid system influence New York’s urban landscape and city planning?

The grid system gave rise to a new urban language and form. It provided efficient navigation through the city with its numbered streets and avenues, creating a uniform layout that facilitated growth and expansion.

What is the significance of the Manhattan grid in terms of long-term urban planning?

The grid system reflects long-term thinking and forward planning. By anticipating future challenges and growth, the grid ensured that New York could expand and develop into a major urban center, maintaining its utility for over 200 years.